Once in a Long, Long While …

Sometimes you just need some space to roam. Such was the case for Ryan Karazija, known by his moniker, Low Roar. The Northern Californian relocated to Iceland in 2010 to record, creating his first self-titled album in his Reykjavik kitchen. The project gained recognition and took a giant leap after his music landed in two trailers for Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. Karazija spent 2016 zig-zagging the world, ending up in London with his longtime collaborator, Mike Lindsay (of Tunng). The result is his latest, Once in a Long, Long While …, a reflection on his year of travel and transition. The album almost feels like a scenic reflection, with songs like the title track feeling expansive, with blooming synth tones like fiddle-heads unfurling. The mesh of organic piano and guitar sounds and icy electronic textures give the songs that kind of floating, ethereal mysticism similar to Sigur Rós. While one might expect epic peaks or crescendos with this style, the songs instead stay low as they explore, and make good use of, the sonic space.